-Chapter 15-
"Dude, are we even friends? You're way too familiar."
Lucas was stunned. Not only had Zavier invited himself along, but why did he have to drag Yelena into it too?
Just as Lucas was about to come up with an excuse to refuse, Yelena smiled and said, "Sure, I happen to be a little hungry too. Let's go eat something together."
Zavier lit up. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Getting to have lunch with two of Su City's top beauties was something he could brag about for a whole year.
As the group all got into the car, Lucas felt completely helpless. He had no choice but to get in as well.
But just as he was walking toward the front seat, he caught a glimpse of David still standing there in that awkward posture. His face was twisted in pain, and it looked like it was only getting worse.
Clearly, Sylvia hadn't held back with that kick.
David was now glaring straight at him, murderous intent in his eyes. The hostility rolled off him like a tidal wave.
Lucas wanted to cry.
[What are you staring at me for? Zavier's the one who provoked you, and Sylvia's the one who hit you. What did I do? I've been nothing but innocent here.]
When his gaze swept the crowd nearby, he saw onlookers whispering as they pointed at David.
"He couldn't even beat a woman."
"Exactly. He kept putting on airs like he was some big shot. Turns out he's just some loser?"
"I heard them call him David. Isn't that the same name as the missing heir of the Fox family?"
"So what if it is? The Fox family was wiped out seven years ago. Nobody in Su City even talks about them anymore. What could he possibly stir up now?"
"Right? Relying on a guy who lost to a woman and got crushed by Young Master Grey to revive the Fox family? Might as well keep dreaming."
Lucas was speechless.
You guys really don't care about dying, huh? Saying stuff like that right to the male lead's face.
But that was just how this novel world worked.
The villain just needed to glance at the male lead the wrong way and would get slapped half to death. Meanwhile, these nobodies could insult and provoke him all they wanted, and he'd just pretend not to hear it.
Such a double standard.
Well, nothing I can do. I'm just a pitiful little cannon-fodder villain.
…
At the restaurant, Lucas was in a great mood now that the Harmony Group issue was handled. He thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
He couldn't even be bothered to pay attention to the scheming between Sylvia and Yelena during lunch. Nor did he care about Zavier desperately trying to flatter them.
After stuffing himself, Lucas leaned back in his chair, picking his teeth as he reviewed the plot in his head.
[After David wins over Rose and settles things with Yelena, his next step is dealing with me. But right now, he hasn't gotten Rose, and Yelena is ignoring him. So will the plot even move forward like that? It's honestly a bit unclear.]
[If the plot hasn't changed, then next, James takes control of the White Corporation. David shows up and tells him about the land in the east side of the city. But James doesn't believe him. Instead, he trusts me and, on my advice, buys up a nearly bankrupt company.]
[In the end, it turns out that land gets designated as the new city center and skyrockets in value, while the company is buried in debt. So basically, I get humiliated and David gets to show off.]
Lucas took a sip of tea, still unsure.
Will David still go visit Rose? After all, she's my fiancée now. If he doesn't visit her, then the plot can't progress, right?
So maybe I should do something to make him and James cross paths.
At the table, Sylvia and Yelena both perked up after hearing his inner thoughts.
The eastern land is going to become the new city center?
This was news they hadn't heard before. In fact, nobody in Su City seemed to know.
If they acted now, they'd basically be snatching up a prime piece of land for free.
After the meal, Zavier hurried off to meet his useless friends so he could brag about having lunch with Yelena and Sylvia.
That left Lucas alone with the two women, wondering how he was supposed to take them home.
But before he could say anything, they both spoke up.
"Lucas, I've got something to take care of. Let's talk later."
"I've got a few things to handle too. I'll call you tonight."
With a piece of land that valuable, who wouldn't want to seize the opportunity and act fast?
Only Lucas, completely unaware that he'd leaked such important information, stood there staring blankly as the two women left. He was confused, but mostly relieved.
Finally got rid of them.
Now he could get back to pushing the plot forward.
First step: visit the White family and somehow convince James and Rose to buy that trash company drowning in debt.
Then trick David into coming over and spilling the secret about the land.
No time to waste.
Lucas hailed a cab and headed straight to the White family villa.
He left in such a hurry that he didn't even bring a gift. But that didn't matter. As a spoiled rich kid, it was totally reasonable for him to be rude and unrefined.
Strangely enough, James looked thrilled to see him, even though he came empty-handed. His expression was so warm it was like greeting a long-lost son.
That was reasonable too.
In the original novel, James genuinely liked Lucas as a son-in-law and absolutely looked down on David.
After all, if he liked David, how would David ever get his big comeback moment?
But what shocked Lucas was what happened next.
Just as James enthusiastically took his hand and led him into the living room, he saw David sitting on the sofa.
Oh shit!
Why is the Dragon King male lead here?!
Turns out, after losing to Sylvia earlier that day, David had planned to go back to his villa and recover using the Red Blood Herb.
But then his men reported that they had found Ethan of KY Group.
David couldn't miss the chance to clear his name, so he personally brought Ethan to the White family, hoping to score some big goodwill and maybe even take Rose with him.
He was so fixated on Rose because not only did she possess a rare Yin body, she also had hidden potential for supernatural abilities.
Dual cultivation with her would massively boost his strength.
{Dual Cultivation - Having sex to exchange & combine their energy}
He thought that, with their childhood connection, his recent rescue, and his personal charm, getting Rose would be a done deal.
He hadn't expected everything to go so wrong.
Even so, he hadn't given up.
Yin bodies like hers were extremely rare, and even among all the beauties he'd met, few could rival Rose's looks.
He had to have her.
But just as he was getting settled on the couch, in came James with Lucas.
This guy again?
At that moment, both David and Lucas were thinking the same thing:
Can you please stay the hell away from me? Every time I see you, something terrible happens.
Of course, that feeling only lasted for a second for Lucas. He quickly became overjoyed.
He had been racking his brain for a way to trick David into visiting the White family.
And now here he was.
What did this mean?
It meant the plot was finally back on track.
Thank goodness. The female characters had all gone off-script, twisting the storyline in every direction, but David kept stitching it back together.
David, you really are the true male lead of this story.
"Lucas, don't misunderstand. I have no personal connection with David. That guy came to my door today and brought Ethan with him, which is the only reason I met with him," James explained quickly.
After all, David had caused a huge scene at the engagement ceremony. Afraid that Lucas would get angry, James hurried to explain himself.
He had no idea that Lucas wasn't angry at all. In fact, he wanted to hug him and shout, "Good brother!"
The male lead had arrived, which meant the real show could begin. Now all they needed was the female lead.
To avoid breaking character, Lucas could only glare at David coldly and say, "You damn loser, still hanging around like a ghost. What good does it do you to keep clinging to the White family? Back when Rose hadn't accepted me, you pestering her was one thing. But now that she's my fiancée, you're still showing up to cause trouble. Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
David sat on the sofa with his legs crossed and an overwhelming presence. When he heard Lucas's provocative words, he looked completely dismissive.
On the surface, he acted as if Lucas didn't exist.
Inside, he had already imagined choking Lucas to death ten thousand times.
James, worried they might start fighting, quickly tried to smooth things over. "Come on, Lucas. Just ignore him. He's here to see me, not to see Rose."
The moment Rose was mentioned, Lucas took the opportunity to ask, "Where's my wife? Not home?"
James grinned and said, "She's home. It's just that she wasn't feeling well, so she didn't come down to greet guests."
"Hm? Not feeling well? Did you call a doctor? I—"
Before Lucas could finish, a voice called down from the second-floor stair railing.
"Lucas."
He looked up and saw Rose walking over in a white dress. Her long hair flowed like a waterfall, her face was as fair as the moon, and her clear eyes held a trace of aloofness along with a hint of shyness.
"You didn't call before coming. If the housekeeper hadn't told me, I wouldn't have even known you were here."
As she spoke, she took the initiative to link arms with Lucas.
From beginning to end, she didn't even glance at David.
Lucas immediately asked, "Why did you come downstairs? Weren't you feeling unwell? Did you see a doctor?"
Rose slowly shook her head and replied calmly, "I wasn't unwell. I just didn't want to see guests, so I used that as an excuse."
Lucas: "..."
[What do you mean you didn't want to see guests? You're not talking about David, are you? That's the Dragon King male lead, your childhood sweetheart. And you're saying you didn't want to see him right to his face? Isn't that basically slapping him in the face?]
Sure enough, David's expression became as dark as it could possibly be.
Yet he had no choice but to hold it in.
Rose suppressed a laugh and pretended to be surprised. "What's wrong, Lucas? Are you unhappy that I don't want to see other men?"
Lucas's eyes widened. "Happy! Of course I'm fucking happy. Why wouldn't I be? If you don't want to see David, I'm absolutely thrilled. You made the right choice. A guy like him isn't even worthy of carrying your shoes. You should stay as far away from him as possible."
Rose couldn't hold back anymore and started laughing.
She rarely smiled. When she did, it was like snow melting in spring, a flower reflecting in water. In that moment, even the sunshine became brighter.
Beautiful.
Absolutely breathtaking.
Lucas was stunned on the spot.
And this time, it wasn't acting. He was genuinely stunned.
A woman could really be this beautiful? In that moment, he finally understood why tyrants would set signal fires just to make a beauty smile.
He wanted to do it too. He wanted Rose to keep smiling.
As if she had seen through his infatuation, Rose became even more pleased with herself. She leaned in closer, tiptoed slightly, and brushed her face against his chin as she asked softly, "Did you come here for something? Or... did you just miss me?"
Lucas looked down at her rosy lips and pinched his thigh hard to resist the urge to kiss her.
"Ahem, well, actually I do have something to talk about."
[Lucas, activate anti-simp mode immediately. Don't let Rose mesmerize you. She belongs to someone else. You're here on serious business.]
"Here's the thing. The White Group just got revived, and it urgently needs new business to inject energy. I heard the owner of Volt Company is preparing to emigrate. Before leaving, he plans to sell the company, and the price is quite reasonable. I came to see if you're interested. If so, I can make the introduction."
[The emigration is real, and leaving the country is real too. But he's doing it to escape his debts. Whoever takes over that company will be a total sucker.]
[Sorry, Rose. I have to follow the plot, so you'll have to take a silent loss here. But don't worry. Even if you buy that junk company, the White family won't suffer. The male lead is behind you.]
"Huh?"
Rose paused and blinked at Lucas.
Was he trying to get her to acquire a company loaded with debt?
And all just to follow the plot?
She frowned.
Should she help him or not?
If she didn't help, the plot wouldn't move forward. He would get flustered, and it might even affect his performance as a villain.
But if she did help, the White family would suffer a huge silent loss.
After weighing the options, she finally looked up and said seriously, "Alright. Help make the introduction."
Lucas swallowed hard. "You... you agreed?"
That was way too easy.
[Looks like Rose trusts me a bit... But even though she trusts me, I'm still setting her up. Isn't that heartless? But what can I do? I'm the villain. If I don't do underhanded things, how can the story move forward? How can the male lead shine?]
[Rose, I'm sorry. Really, I am.]
Rose smiled faintly.
Silly boy. What is there to apologize for?
You've already helped the White family so much and saved me from becoming a background character. I'm just buying a little company to help you out. It's no big deal.
At that moment, David suddenly furrowed his brows and said coldly, "Hold on. That Volt Company you're talking about—isn't that the chain furniture store?"
Here we go.
The male lead was laying the groundwork for a face-slapping reversal.
"So what if it is?" Lucas snorted. "The boss is a good friend of mine. One word from me and he'll definitely hand the company over. People like you will never have that kind of network."
David sneered. "You sure he's a good friend? If he were, he wouldn't be setting you up like this. As far as I know, that boss is planning to flee the country."
"The hell he is. What do you know? That guy's rolling in cash and just wants a better life abroad. You're just jealous I can bring Rose good opportunities, so you're trying to sabotage things and stir up trouble."
Lucas rolled up his sleeves and walked up to the sofa, glaring at David.
"If you could earn even a dime for Rose, I'd look at you differently. But you're just a worthless loser. My advice? Go back to wherever you came from."
-End of Chapter 15-
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